The least automated area of the photographic industry has been the packaging of individual customer orders of prints and film. Many difficulties are associated especially with the automatic packaging of developed films. Conventional film is relatively flimsy, which makes it difficult to handle and convey to a desired location. Static electricity generated by the handling of the film makes it very difficult to transport in the same manner as prints, since the static electricity tends to make the film cling to the film conveying surfaces. Film may be curled upwardly or downwardly along either its longitudinal or transverse axis, making it difficult to transport without jamming, which has been a problem associated with prior art mechanisms. Finally, it has been a very difficult problem to deliver cut film lengths into a packaging envelope, due to the above mentioned difficulties.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,571 granted Feb. 5, 1974 to Leonard Tall et al, entitled PROCESSOR'S PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT SORTING AND PACKAGINE MACHINE AND METHOD discloses an apparatus to convey and load prints and cut film into collection trays or compartments, including means (not described in said patent) to convey the cut film from a film cutter into a compartment or tray which is then dumped into the desired pocket of a carrying and segregating assembly (referred to in the Tall et al patent as a carrier stock). The carrier stock is subsequently hand inserted into a packaging envelope after the film, prints, and other materials have been dumped therein. When the tray is dumped the film falls down into the carrier stock section or pocket under the force of gravity and whatever momentum (if any) which may be acquired during the dumping action. This is an inefficient device and provides so means for maintaining positive driving contact with the cut film lengths during the transporting and depositing thereof into the carrier stock or assembly for subsequent manual insertion into a packaging customer order envelope.